Days later Drudoc awoke from her rest, she glanced outside at took note it was nearing night fall. As well as faintly snowing as well. "First snows of the season." She idly thought.
Drudoc felt stiffled by the enclosed area and soon dressed herself warmily and headed across to her childrens room. Taking note the both were still fast asleep where she had left them only a few hours before. Not wishing to take chances she walked silently over to each in her robes and chanted a soft set of blessings over each. One blessing to ensure there sleep for many hours until sun up and several others to protect them from evil and similar.
After warding both the window, room and finally the door in a similar manner and making sure the door was securely locked. Drudoc headed downstairs, pulling her warm winter cloak about her. "Drudoc?" A woman's voice asked as she exited the stairs.
Drudoc glanced over noting Ren'dalia. "Oh Ren'dalia hello this evening something you need?" She asked.
The elven woman shook her head no to her. "I was just wondering where you were off to this night?" She asked curiously.
"Just for a short walk around the camp." Drudoc replied though honestly she had hopes that if the snow wasnt to bad she would head for her Grove as well. "The children are fast asleep and the room warded against evil and similar so they should be safe enough till i get back." She continued.
The elf woman nodded to her satisifed. "Of course dear Drudoc. Would you like some company on your walk?" She asked.
Drudoc considered this a moment, in truth she wouldnt have minded some extra company but something in the back of her mind compelled her to decline. "No, thanks for the offer but I just need to think on some things for a bit. I should be back in a few hours at most. After all the camp isnt that big." Drudoc said with a smile.
"Of course dear. I'll await your return then." Ren'dalia said.
As Drudoc made her way out of the building then out of the camp Drudoc felt a nagging guilt that she had lied her way out of Ren'dalia's company but then again still another felt that it was the right decision. Why though was what nagged the halfling woman.
After a short walk to her Grove Drudoc set up a small fire just at the caves entrance. Then huddled down under the warmth of her cloak and blankets she had brought with her. Then once comfortable relaxed her head back and shut her eyes for a moment.
When next Drudoc's eyes came open they were to a extremely cold breeze forcing Drudoc to huddle down deeper into her cloak and blankets. The wind soon after blew out the fire as well taking away what warmth she still had. In desperation Drudoc tried to cast a blessing to ward off the cold but found her mind seize up and fail to finish the spell. "Hmm, odd." Drudoc thought thinking nothing of the failure.
She then shurrged then holding her head down and started to make her way from the cave and out of her Grove. Suddenly her brain was racked by intense pain and anguish, causing her to collapse to the ground onto all fours. Blood oozed from the tear tucks of her eyes to the ground around her. Drudoc took note that the minks near her hissed and took off running seeming in fear. Images of the temple in the outskirts and valiki shot through her mind. "Bring me the first you see, no priests or knights." The voice snapped through her mind accompained by a searing pain and hammer like blows inside her skull.
Dimly in the back of her mind what remained of Drudoc's mental personality screamed in frustration as she found herself unable to resist the commands. Dimly she obeyed the command and took off running avoiding the wolf packs that prowled the woods except for two. Both of which she dealt with with some effort with her bare hands. "It'll lend credence to my story." the part of her mind thought formulating a plan and lie. Drudoc though tried to fight but found it useless.
Finally though she reached the outskirts and looked around her eyes pounding in her skull at times. She at first saw two men. One a guard and another a robed man. She put on a desperte looking face and eyed both still injured from her two wolf fights earlier. "Please, help me. A wolf pack took a child into the forests." She said despertly. Pain lanced through her head again causing her to fall to her knees but she passed it off as an injury to her shoulder. Which was in truth hurt from the bites and claws.
"The man with the axe bring him!" The voice sounded through her head and willingly she did so.
"Please sir, help me. I need one of stout fighting skills to tackle this pack and rescue the child." She said despertly. Still though for some reason he didnt seem to belive her.
"Your posssed hin! Stay back!" He cried before running into the Ladies Rest.
Pain again lanced through her as he took off but Drudoc held herself back from taking hostile action against him. She took a deep breath before eyeing the robed man again. He though didnt seem interested in helping and just laughed at her. Drudoc tried to summon the will to scream for him to run but words failed her and she was again pushed aside. By now others had come out several in fact.
A girl with blonde hair approached her and healed Drudoc's wounds. "HER! GET HER!" the voice cried in her mind lancing through her so hard that her nose bleed and she coughed up gobs of blood.
Drudoc in her desperation repeated her story about the taken child to the woman. Part of Drudoc was hoping she would see through the fascade and leave but no it wasnt to be so. Over shouts of "Leave the hin alone!" And "Dont trust her she's possesed!" The girl, Drudoc, and another headed for the forests.
"ONLY ONE GIRL!" The voice snapped thorugh her mind and she fell to her knees soon after helped back up by the woman.
"Urghh thanks, wolves must have gotten be harder then I thought." She said with a weak smile. Sadly to Drudoc's captured mind it only further gained the womans trust.
Drudoc then turned to the man and tried to convince him to leave saying that a simple wolf pack could be dealt with by just herself and the woman. But despite her best efforts it wasnt to be and the man followed anyhow as Drudoc continued on with both in tow.
Soon though Drudoc felt what control she had slip away and realized to her utter horror she was simply an observer of her actions. The man started to shout to the woman to not trust her saying that she was a werewolf among other things. Drudoc's head cocked to the side with a sneer on her lips as she took note that the man hid behind a rock.
"Hungry?" the woman asked.
Drudoc's head moved to the woman and sneered with a sly grin. "Hungry?" She paused a moment. "Yes...a little."
"If thats the case there are dear just a small trek back the way we came...." She started to say before Drudoc cut her off.
Her gaze drifted to a shadowy figure among the trees and she pointed to him, soon after unleashing a wave of shocking energy towards him and striking the elf down. Inside her mind Drudoc struggled to regain control any control of her body but it was utterly useless.
Then as the man approached again intent on her destruction it seemed Drudoc's hand again did similar though this time the man fell to the ground rolling about grabbing his head in pain. "URGH! My head my head!" He kept screaming.
Drudoc's head impassively moved towards the woman as well and soon she was laid out flat on her back, the torch and weapon she carried fallen away.
To Drudoc's possesed mind she sensed another then trying to ward her mind against what was going on but it was useless. Her mouth snapped and growledin his direction soon sniffing him out and locating the person. "You better hide human!" She snapped. Then delivered a devasting punch to his mid section crashing him back against the wall with a thud.
Drudoc's body then moved of its own accord and took the woman by the hair and started to drag her along the forest floor. Inside her mind Drudoc struggled trying every last trick she could think of to summon the will to let the woman to run free. Her efforts though in that manner were in vein but she did summon up enough to get her up and comfortably walking again instead of being drugged along the forest floor.
Soon the two reached her Grove, and Drudoc felt her mind become once more her own except with a few restrictions. She couldnt fight the vampire that now stood before her, nor could she without effort resist him. With hard kick across her face Drudoc went flying to the ground, her jaw bleeding heavily from the strike. Drudoc coughed and spat blood from her mouth, then looked to the woman, who seemed far calmer then she would have given her credit for. "I'm sorry about this miss. It wasnt something of my own free will." She said.
"Will you kill me now?" the woman asked looking at Drudoc.
The vampire then fully came into apperanace near the woman and he finished her question. "No...she wont..."
Drudoc tried in vein twice to summon the will to attack first the vampire then the woman and finally tried to ward her mind but failed in every attempt. Meanwhile to her credit the woman was resisting the vampire but it was a losing fight and soon his teeth sunk into her neck. "NO!" Drudoc cried out as the vampire fed on her draining her of her blood and life force.
Drudoc looked about despertely for something to do anythign to help the woman. But again despite her best efforts she was powerless to do anything. The vampire then stood and wiped his face clean of the fresh blood, before disapearing into the night. Drudoc then rushed over to her and infused her body heavily with postitive energy. Relief flushing through her that the woman was still alive.
"Step back from her thrall!" A voice snapped from nearby.
Drudoc didnt reconize the voice but did as was asked. A summoned mastiff soon appeared snapping at her arm and warding her back further still. "It wasnt my choice!" drudoc said despertly but the words were to no avail as she saw the woman carried off and the mastiff disapaer.
Tired, worn, weary, and feeling defeated Drudoc trudged out of her grove then. She barley made it three steps out when she heard off to her right. "THERE!" a voice shouted only to soon after have an arrow fly by her head. The way Drudoc felt right now she would have hoped the arrow would have killed her but whoever the owner was was not a good shot. Slowly the forms of a half-elf and an elf she reconized came into view. "Alwrr" She thought reconizing him
It took some time but eventually she explained what was going on to her. Alwrr seeming quite concerned and the half-elf not seeming to give a damn, more finding it to be a game. A brief fight broke out between Alwrr and the half-elf in an act of self defense Alwrr struck the man down. But Drudoc took note that he seemed regretful of the action and also releived when Drudoc was able to revive the man. He took off howling threats to Alwrr leaving the two alone for the time being.
Drudoc warned Alwrr that she was a threat now, both to others, her friends, and loved ones. And she couldnt risk others getting hurt do to her foolishness. Briefly the thought came through Drudoc's mind to simply destroy herself here and now. There by ensuring her friends safety and those she helped as well. Then she thought of her family and stood her thoughts. "No for now they need me more then my own dangers." She thought letting the slowly building harmful energies build in her hands fade away.
Drudoc stood then and looked to Alwrr. "If I end up showing up again in the outskirts tonight I want you to do me a favor...." She started to say but soon got cut off as she felt a pain rack her mind.
She gritted her teeth in frustration and sighed. "Yes friend of calor named Drudoc?" Alwrr asked in his unsual way of speaking.
"Nevermind...forget it." she said softly and then headed back for Deganway.
She felt Alwrr's eyes on her for a time after she left but soon went upstairs to her children. There she found both still under the effects of her sleep blessing and to worried about them to do otherwise with a snap of her fingers let the blessing fall away letting them rise as they naturally would. Drudoc then looked hopefully into her room hoping her lover and friend would be there but it wasnt meant to be.
Slowly as Drudoc undressed there was a knock at her door. "Drudoc?" Came a familar elven voice.
"Yes?" Drudoc replied finishing pulling on her relaxation robes. "Come in Ren'dalia"
After a moment Ren'dalia entered the room and looked at the halfling mother in concen. "You were gone for many hours. Is everything ok?" She asked genuine concern lanced in her voice.
Drudoc's mind screamed for her to tell Ren'dalia the truth but she just couldnt. Putting on her best positive face she smiled convincingly. "Yes, just ended up taking a longer walk then I oringally intended. Everythings fine dear, but..." Drudoc paused a moment adjusting her hair. "Thansks for the concern."
Sadly to Drudoc the Elf woman nodded belivng her. "Damn me and my convincing ways." She thought cursing herself again and again for learnign to persuade others to her body language and words.
With that the elf woman left Drudoc to her own devices. As the door shut Drudoc curaled up into the small bed which only days before had held such hope for the older halfling woman. Now Drudoc just cried, and cried. Till there were no tears left. After that she bled from her tried eyes. And after that was done Drudoc finally sat up and summoned the darker energies inside her. Her hand glowed a blood red as the energies coursed forth. Finally she finished the spell and placed it over her heart, and released the energies, and without another moment everything went black.
OOC: Again great job with Threstral.